So-called heavy duty liquid detergent compositions commercially available at present typically comprise organic surfactants, enzymes, and perfumes. These components are generally incompatible with peroxygen bleaches. As a result, no peroxygen bleach containing liquid detergent compositions are commercially available to date.
European Patent 0,037,184, granted Jan. 23, 1985 to Interox Chemicals Ltd, discloses liquid detergent compositions comprising organic surfactants, a builder system, at least 2% hydrogen peroxide and a stabilizing system comprising an aminoethylene phosphonate or hydroxyalkyl diphosphonate, a polyhydroxyaliphatic carboxylate, and/or a low melecular weight mono-hydroxy aliphatic alcohol.
European Patent 0,086,511, granted Jul. 2, 1986 to The Procter & Gamble Company, discloses aqueous liquid detergent compositions having a pH below 9 and comprising organic surfactants, oxygen bleach, fatty acid and a water-soluble calcium salt.
DE-OS 35 11 515, published Oct. 17, 1985, discloses non-aqueous liquid detergent compositions comprising sodiumperborate monohydrate and an activator for the perborate. FR 2.579.615, published Oct. 3, 1986, discloses similar non-aqueous compositions which further comprise catalase inhibitors. The compositions exemplified in these two patents do not contain anionic surfactants.
It is an object of the present invention to provide aqueous liquid detergent compositions containing substantial amounts of a solid, water-soluble peroxygen bleach. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such bleach-containing liquid detergent compositions that contain substantial amounts of anionic surfactant.